Learning for Desert Futures

"Today, Australians are more highly educated than ever before. However, despite increases in the levels of educational attainment, some groups in society still experience difficulty in gaining education beyond compulsory schooling." (ABS 4102.0 - Australian Social Trends, 2008.)

Education provides a foundation for individual and community wellbeing. It plays a key role in individual development and provides the platform for entry into the labour force and employment. Many young Indigenous people today struggle to engage with education and so either drop out of school early or do not develop the skills and knowledge base that they require to transition into post-school education or employment effectively. Although there have been improvements in Indigenous education outcomes over the last decade, progress has been slow and significant disparities continue to exist between the education outcomes of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. This presentation briefly discusses educational outcomes for disadvantaged students and the factors that lead to those outcomes. It then outlines an holistic schooling approach that helps students overcome barriers to completing school and going on to further education and or employment.